


Happy Hoe-lidays!

by phenomanon



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Holidays, Idiots in Love, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:53:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phenomanon/pseuds/phenomanon
Summary: Nick has been acting suspicious lately so Greg uses his CSI skills to find out if he's cheating.
Relationships: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Happy Hoe-lidays!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [panchostokes (badwolfrun)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolfrun/gifts), [deltajackdalton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deltajackdalton/gifts).



> Written for the lovely panchostokes, deltajackdalton, and anon who requested a drabble including the prompts: “I love you no matter what your brain tells you” + “I’ll check on you again tomorrow” + “Do you want to talk about it or would you like a distraction?” Got inspired to write a longer one shot vs drabbles and somehow included all 3 in 1 fic. I appreciate y'alls patience so much and love y'all! Happy hoe-lidays and hope you enjoy! 😂 💖

Nick was cheating.

It was the only logical answer Greg could come up with. Starting a month ago Nick had been more tired than usual, barring him from seeing Greg most days. Once in a while Greg would feel Nick slip under the covers at odd times of the day, when he knew Nick’s shift had ended hours ago. But he couldn’t bring himself to confront Nick yet. Greg needed hard evidence first.

Then again, they’d never discussed what they were doing so technically Greg didn’t have a leg to stand on. They didn’t belong to each other. To make things worse, Greg had hardly seen Nick in the past month and the Texan rarely invited Greg back to his place anymore.

“Greg?”

“Huh?”

Grissom’s menacing glare snapped Greg out of his stupor; his hands ceasing their tedious task of ripping up a tissue. The blonde realized there was an audience in front of him eagerly awaiting an answer.

“The shards found on your shoe were a common plastic, polyethylene terephthalate or PET. But there was something unique I noticed about the orange tint. It’s from the historic arcade on Fremont. You know, the one with neon orange and yellow barricades for laser tag? Used to go there all the time when I first moved to Vegas.”

Grissom and Catherine looked at one another with renewed interest as they listened to Greg’s analysis. 

“Nice work Greg. Catherine, wanna take a stroll to this old spot I know about on the Strip?”

“Game on.”

The duo nodded at Greg and rushed out of the lab with their hot new tip, leaving the lonely lab rat by himself again.

“No fair. The one who discovered the location should get to collect evidence there…”

As Greg sulked at his desk, blurred remnants of Nick Stokes sped by in flying colors, which caused the scientist to do a double take.

“See ya later G.”

“Hey wait! Nick, hold up.”

Nick unwillingly slowed his pace and turned back towards the lab. Greg noted the hesitance in his movement and tried to get a good read on Nick’s mood. Stoic as always.

“Sup Greg?”

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Nowhere special.”

“Well if you’re not doing anything special tonight, wanna kick it? Dinner’s on me.”

“I’d love to but I already have plans.”

“Oh, I see. What about after your plans?”

“I’ll be exhausted by then so probably gonna call it. Rain check?”

“All right, just let me know.” 

Greg’s forced smile shifted into a full-fledged scowl as Nick hurried out the door.

—

“Oh oh, this is the part where he falls into the sunken place.”

“Mmhmm.”

“It’s like, a really big part of the movie so...”

“Yeah.”

“Are you even watching?”

“Mmm.”

Greg annoyingly shook Nick’s head off his shoulders, scrambling the older man awake.

“You fell asleep again.”

“Sorry. Wanna go lay down?”

“No, I just got off work.”

“We can unwind in _there_.” Nick pondered, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“But I wanna unwind _out here_. Just go to bed, I’ll let myself out after I finish this.”

“Mm...Stay.”

“I’ll think about it. Why are you always so tired anyways? You got somethin’ else keepin’ you busy?” 

Greg had tried to make the last question sound like a joke, but the inherent sadness was too palpable. He had no rights to Nick’s time yet couldn’t help feeling a little territorial about the situation. Slowly Nick turned towards Greg with a lazy smile.

“Just you.”

“You sure?”

“Positive, doll.”

A waterfall of dopamine hit Greg when he heard Nick’s accentuated Southern drawl.

“Playing dirty I see,” Greg accused as he allowed Nick to settle around him, “You know I can’t resist that Southern accent.”

Nick nestled his head further into Greg’s lap with a mischievous smirk. Greg knew when he was losing the battle. The Texan could be lying through his teeth for all Greg knew, but in this moment he had succumbed to weakness again.

—

Finally Greg had found the evidence he was looking for—the proverbial smoking gun. There it was in all its glory; outlined in invisible chalk in the form of water droplets on Nick’s bathroom floor. Nick was a neat and tidy person, marking the current mess in his bathroom as highly suspicious.

Parts of his shaving kit was strewn across the sink and there was a strange pile of clothes scrunched up against the laundry basket. It almost looked like clothing Nick might wear, though he’d never pick something so loud in color or print.

So Greg hypothesized that they didn’t belong to Nick. Somebody else had been in Nick’s house. Or rather, Nick had invited them into his house, his bathroom, and his life.

His knees began to tremble at the thought. Because Nick got off work later than Greg, he’d given Greg an extra key so he could head over a bit earlier. Greg had no idea that it’d be a skeleton key straight into the wasp’s nest. Now there was no denying Nick’s infidelity. 

_Who was it with? For how long? And why had Greg been so blind?_

Greg fought his instinctual urge to give the clothes a full inspection. He knew Nick would kill him if he found Greg snooping around his bathroom and would accuse him of exploiting Nick’s privacy. Suddenly, Greg was startled by jingling resounding from the front door. He flipped off the bathroom lights and hastily hopped into Nick’s bed. The last thing he wanted was an explosive confrontation at Nick’s house.

“Greggo?”

The blonde quickly shielded himself under the covers and pretended to sleep, feigning snoring noises so Nick would think he’d been asleep for a while. Nick quietly tiptoed into the bedroom and grinned seeing Greg’s sleeping form.

 **“I’ll check on you again tomorrow...”** Nick softly whispered to no one.

—

Greg fell into a bad case of insomnia after his discovery at Nick’s house. He’d driven himself nearly insane over the findings and was dying to talk to someone about it. Anyone. So badly in fact, that he was about to talk to the wrong someone. But Greg was desperate, and desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Hey Hodges.”

“What do you want?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“That depends. Is it a useless question or a pointless question?”

Greg frowned. “It’s a...math-related question. About a case.”

“Okay,” He begrudgingly looked at Greg, “What’s the question?”

“What’s the probability of clothing belonging to someone when it’s something that the said person wouldn’t wear?”

“Come again?”

“If you found clothes that didn’t belong to your...girlfriend at her place, what would you do?”

Hodges grimaced, realizing he’d been bamboozled by the spiky-haired lab tech.

“Is this really for a case?”

“Does it matter?”

“I need the full story or I can’t draw a proper conclusion. And you’re wasting time. The city’s time.”

“Fine. They’ve been dating for about a year but they’re not serious. I mean, one of them is but the other person isn’t. Most likely. I’m not sure.”

“Hm. Sounds like you need to talk to your girlfriend.”

Greg cursed Hodges for being too pragmatic.

“You mean * _they_ * need to talk to their girlfriend. The person—friend I’m referring to.”

“Right.”

“Sanders, Hodges—y’all got my samples yet?”

The two lab rats looked up to see Nick’s face through the transparent glass walls. Hodges immediately rolled his eyes and headed to the printer while Greg stood awkwardly glancing at Nick. He didn’t know whether to return his smile or not.

“You got any self respect yet, Stokes?”

Nick’s face tensed at Hodges’ rude response. But it was completely ignored by Hodges who continued to collect his printouts unbothered.

Greg picked up his empty coffee mug and signaled to the two men, “Gonna grab some more oil, brb.”

“Since Hodges is taking forever, I’ll walk with you and hopefully by the time we get back he’ll have those samples ready for me.”

Hodges gave Nick a sarcastic stare and went about his business. Greg sighed as Nick followed him out of the lab and towards the break room. He trailed ahead a little faster every time Nick tried to catch up, hoping to avoid any confrontations at work.

“Gonna make it quick. Ecklie's hovering around here somewhere.”

Greg filled his mug as fast as he could, trying not to give Nick a chance to talk. But Nick was stubborn and Greg wasn’t going to shake him off that easily.

“I can be quick. Let's hang out tonight if you're free.”

Nick was confused by Greg’s silence. He would usually light up about seeing each other, even when Greg was trying to keep a low profile at work.

“Oh um…”

“You busy?”

“Not really.”

“Want my extra key? I’ll be off in like, five hours.”

Greg knew Nick was lying. He had checked the schedules at the beginning of the week and remembered Nick was off work in an hour. So there was no reason for him to be coming home in five, unless he wanted to make a pitstop somewhere first.

“‘Kay.”

“Cool, here. See ya in a bit.”

Nick placed the key into Greg’s palm gently, holding his hand for a few moments before letting go. His hands felt soft and warm, contrary to the coldness of the key.

Greg didn’t really want to go over to Nick’s place but felt tonight was the night to finally get some answers. It was now or never.

—

He was going crazy waiting for Nick to come home. Greg had gone through the entire spectrum of emotions, ranging from despair to anger to indifference. Although Greg wanted the truth, he was nervous to actually hear it from Nick. He could feel the twisting of the front door down to his marrow and held his breath for Nick to enter. Nick tumbled into the house as if he was drunk, barely missing the floor in his daze. Greg got up and walked towards the older man, holding a stern stance best he could.

“Why do you look like Woody from Toy Story? This a kink or something?”

Nick jumped ten feet in the air at Greg’s sudden inquisition.

“You scared me man! Forgot you were gonna be here. Ah look Greg, there’s something I need to tell you.” 

“W-what is it?”

“Well I’ve been...you see, I needed more—”

“I knew it! You’ve been cheating on me!” Greg cried, his composed facade instantly crumbling.

“Cheat?! What’re you talkin’ about? I’d never cheat on you. I got a seasonal job as a security guard for Cowboy Junction...which is why I’m dressed like this.”

The color in Greg’s face was completely drained by Nick’s admission.

“Okay, what the hell is Cowboy Junction and why did you get a job there?”

“It’s a store where you can buy cowboy boots and western wear,” Nick said shyly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, “ _Not like that_ , get your head out the gutter. But that’s not why I took the job. I did it because I wanted to get you something special for Christmas and it was close to the lab.”

“Wait...what?” 

Greg burst out laughing for the first time in weeks, making Nick breathe a huge sigh of relief.

“I wanted to say somethin’ earlier but didn’t wanna ruin the surprise. Sorry G.”

“I don’t know what to believe, Nick. I was so sure you were cheating on me because you were bored or somethin’. I mean, you never wanna hang out anymore, you’re always tired...”

**“I love you no matter what your brain tells you.”**

“You _what_?”

“Oops, didn’t mean to say that. I mean, I meant what I said but...it wasn’t supposed to come out like that. I know it’s only been a year but I’m really fond of you, Greg. And I’m tired. Real tired. Just did another 16 hour work day so cut me some slack will ya?”

Searching Nick’s eyes for truth, Greg decided in the end there was no reason Nick would lie to him. The job at Cowboy Junction would explain the name tag on Nick’s shirt spelled out in bad rodeo typography, as well as the foreign clothes in his bathroom. It would also explain Nick's weird, avoidant behavior and his constant exhaustion.

“So what’s the surprise then?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster this past month, cut _me_ some slack would ya?”

“True. Well. I wanted it to be a surprise but,” Nick smiled and pointed down the hall, “Y’know that room down there?”

“Your study?”

“Nah, the one across from it.”

“Hm. Haven’t really checked that one out to be honest.”

“Good. I locked it anyways so you couldn’t get a sneak peek. Been doing some reno on it, gettin’ it ready for ya.”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t how I wanted it to go down but I was wondering if you’d like to stay with me? Permanently.”

“Like…”

“Move in. I know I shoulda asked before I did all this, but I figured even if you didn’t move in you could have your own space here so you’d feel more at home. It all started cause I overheard you tellin’ Archie your computer died—so I got you a new one. But then one day Catherine was going on and on about redecorating her house and it kinda inspired me. It’ll just be easier if I show ya.”

Nick grabbed Greg’s hand excitedly and led him down the hallway. Once they reached the room in question, Nick took out his key and unlocked it, making Greg gasp in bewilderment.

“Nicky, this is incredible.”

“I couldn’t just get ya the computer. I had to get the standing desk, chair, and all the other stuff that would make this feel like a real space so you can work on that novel you’re always talkin’ about. That’s why I picked up a part time job.”

“You do listen.”

“Always. And that extra key I keep givin’ ya is yours. If you want it that is.”

Greg joyfully wrapped his arms around Nick and placated the older man with a kiss. Nick warmly accepted the invitation, lifting Greg up off the floor and into his arms.

“Seriously Nick, I don’t know what to say. All I got you for Christmas was a dumb grille for the Denali. It wasn’t cheap, but nowhere near what you spent on this room. You didn’t have to do this, any of this.”

“I wanted to. By the way, most the stuff in this room is yours so in case anything happens, you can take it all back to your place.” Nick replied hesitantly.

“Don’t think I’ll need to.”

“Still didn’t give me an answer, you know.”

**“Do you want to talk about it or would you like a distraction?”**

“I think you know the answer to that.”

Smiling, Greg expertly raised Nick’s shirt over his head and tossed his own to the side. Soon trousers and pants were discarded as Greg propped himself onto his new desk.

“Shall we christen my new spot?” Greg asked seductively, spreading his legs to show Nick what he was working with. “I’m ready for my close up.”

Blushing profusely, Nick playfully closed Greg's legs again.

“Uh, you’ll still be sleeping in my—our bedroom though right?”

“Is that even a question?”

“Then yes,” Nick replied, reopening Greg's legs and pulling him closer.

Greg nodded and used his long legs to close the door so they could start celebrating.


End file.
